1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention deals with the field of firestopping designs particularly and more particularly deals with intumescent firestopping materials which are designed to expand rapidly responsive to fire and heat for the purpose of sealing openings which need to be placed within the walls, ceilings, floors and other construction barriers of conventional residential and/or commercial buildings. It is difficult to provide the correct amount of intumescent material while at the same time allowing retrofitting and refitting of the cables or other penetrating members which must extend through these construction openings. The present invention provides a dynamically adjustable sealing system which defines a throat through which cables can extend and which throat has a confinement area for holding the cables while at the same time facilitating intumescent sealing of the entire opening responsive to a fire and heat condition.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Numerous patents have been designed for the purpose of using intumescent materials for sealing openings in construction barriers such as walls, floors and ceilings such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,835 issued Jan. 6, 1981 to A. Ehrenfels and assigned to Harvey Hubbell, Incorporated on a “Non-Rigid Mechanical Coupling For A Fire-Rated Feed-Through Fitting And Method Of Making”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,779 issued Apr. 28, 1981 to T. R. Rhodes et al and assigned to General Signal Corporation on a “Poke-Through Electrical Fitting With Releasable Wedging Point For Retention”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,416 issued Jun. 22, 1982 to J. P Goodsell and assigned to Harvey Hubbell Incorporated on a “Fire-Rated Feed-Through Fitting For Transferring Insulated Wires Through A Concrete Floor”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,199 issued Dec. 14, 1982 to C. S. Kucheria et al and assigned to Kennecott Corporation on a “Fire Resistant Sealing System For Holes In Fire Resistant Building Partitions”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,920 issued Aug. 30, 1983 to D. D. Logsdon on an “Apparatus For Securing Pipe”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,577 issued Aug. 28, 1984 to R. R. Licht and assigned to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company on an “Intumescent Fire Barrier Material Laminated With Restraining Layer”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,694 issued Oct. 16, 1984 to J. E. Kohaut and assigned to John E. Kohaut and Raceway Components, Inc. on a “Through-Floor Electrical Outlet Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,486 patented Mar. 3, 1987 to W. Hauff on a “Flame-Retarding Wall Feedthrough Fitting”; and U.S. Reissue Pat. No. Re.32,678 issued May 31, 1988 to R. D. Benscoter et al and assigned to Butler Manufacturing Company on an “Economy Poke-Thru”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,926 issued Jan. 31, 1989 to P. C. Beck and assigned to Adolph Coors Company on a “Firebreak For Conduits”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,690 issued Jul. 16, 1991 to M. Bloom and assigned to Masco Building Products Corp. on a “Poke-Through Connector Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,594 issued Jun. 16, 1992 to E. S. Wuertz and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on a “Method For Attaching A Poke-Through Electrical Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,054 issued Jul. 21, 1992 to J. Stahl and assigned to Specified Technologies Inc. on a “Composition Of Matter For A Fire Retardant Intumescent Material Having Two Stages Of Expansion And A Process For Making Thereof”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,658 issued Aug. 11, 1992 to J. Stahl and assigned to Specified Technologies Inc. on a “Process For Forming A Fire Retardant Intumescent Material Having Two Stages Of Expansion”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,077 issued Dec. 29, 1992 to G. Murota and assigned to The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. on a “Fire Protecting Structure Of Channel Portion Of Plastic Piping In A Fire Partition”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,131 issued Jun. 15, 1993 to E. S. Wuertz and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on a “Poke-Through Fire Barrier Structure With Knock-Out Openings”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,128 issued Aug. 17, 1993 to E. S. Wuertz and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on an “Above-Floor Service Fitting For Poke-Through Wiring Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,278 issued Dec. 21, 1993 to E. S. Wuertz and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on a “Poke-Through Wiring Fitting With Flap Cover Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,5,393,930 issued Feb. 28, 1995 to E. S. Wuertz and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on a “Self-Anchoring Poke-Through Wiring Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,103 issued Apr. 25, 1995 to E. S. Wuertz and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on a “Self-Anchoring Poke-Through Wiring Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,127 issued Jun. 6, 1995 to S. F. Stefely on a “Fire Stop Closure”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,551 issued Sep. 26, 1995 to P. J. Charland et al and assigned to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company on a “Tiered Firestop Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,050 issued Oct. 10, 1995 to T. T. Ward and assigned to Construction Consultants & Contractors, Inc. on a “System To Prevent Spread Of Fire And Smoke Through Wall-Breaching Utility Holes”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,565 issued Nov. 21, 1995 to T. Bowman et al and assigned to Walker Systems, Inc. on a “Method And Apparatus For Improved Activation Of Services In An Office Building Floor”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,202 issued Jan. 14, 1997 to M. A. Tobias on a “Split Sleeve System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,940 issued to J. H. Whitehead on Jun. 24, 1997 and assigned to Thomas & Betts Corporation on a “Poke-Through Electrical Connection Assembly Retainer”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,891 issued Sep. 2, 1997 to A. J. Miller et al on a “Method Of Passing Wires Through A Firewall Using Telescoping Conduit Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,349 issued Dec. 9, 1997 to J. Bera and assigned to Raceway Components, Inc. on a “Wedge-Lockable Fire-Retardant Poke-Through Service Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,938 issued Mar. 24, 1998 to M. A. Tobias on a “Wall Penetrator Sleeve System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,698 issued Apr. 21, 1998 to D. J. Myronuk et al on a “Flame Attenuator For Poke-Through Constructions”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,732 issued May 5, 1998 to J. Bera et al and assigned to Raceway Components, Inc. on a “Fire-Rated Furniture Feed Poke-Through Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,764 issued Sep. 29, 1998 to J. E. Kohaut and assigned to Raceway Components, Inc. on an “Insert For Poke-Through Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,872 issued Sep. 21, 1999 to G. S. MacMillian et al on a “Fire Barrier Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,126 issued Jan. 25, 2000 to N. Castellani et al and assigned to Walker Systems, Inc. on a “Flush Poke-Through Wiring Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,623 issued Sep. 5, 2000 to N. Bonilla et al and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on a “Poke-Through Floor Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,915 issued Nov. 7, 2000 to t. Andersen et al on a “Fire Resistant Bushing For Cables, Pipes And Channels”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,180 issued Dec. 12, 2000 to J. R. Edwards and assigned to Office Specialty Inc. on a “Mounting Device For Communications Conduit Connector”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,078 issued Jan. 16, 2001 to S. S. Bambardekar and assigned to Walker Systems, Inc. on a “Flush Poke-Through Wiring Fitting Having A Height Adjustable Data Jack Mounting Bracket”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,052 issued Jan. 23, 2001 to J. Takahashi and assigned to Tosetz Co., Ltd. on a “Fire Retarding Division Penetrating Member”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,882 issued Jan. 30, 2001 to C. T. Dinh and assigned to Thomas & Betts, International on a “Single And Dual Cable Seal System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,152 issued Oct. 23, 2001 to N. Bonilla et al and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on a “Poke-Through Floor Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,180 issued Mar. 5, 2002 to J. V. DeBartolo, Jr. et al and assigned to Hubbell Incorporated on “Bus Bars For Poke-Through Floor Fitting”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,502 issued Mar. 26, 2002 to J. P. Stahl, Jr. and assigned to Specified Technologies Inc. on a “Firestop Collar Means With Improved Mounting Means”; and United States Publication No. U.S. 2002/0032996 A1 published to K. R. Cornwall on Mar. 21, 2002 on a “Coupling Assembly With Intumescent Material”.